With the miniaturization of semiconductor devices, the sensitivity and throughput of defect inspection in the manufacturing line of semiconductor devices have been increasingly demanding year by year. Conventionally, such defect inspection uses light such as DUV light and ArF light, or an electron beam (EB). Inspection using light has high throughput, and is widely applied to e.g. inspection of a mask used in the lithography process and inspection of a wafer after light exposure. Such inspection based on light can detect a defect causing electrical failure of a semiconductor device in the conventional pattern size. However, in a fine pattern with a half-pitch of approximately 10 nm, it is difficult to clearly resolve the pattern. This makes it difficult to detect defects.
On the other hand, inspection using an electron beam can resolve such a fine pattern. Thus, inspection using an electron beam has good sensitivity and is promising as a technique for inspecting a pattern with a half-pitch of approximately 10 nm. However, inspection using an electron beam has a problem of low throughput. The throughput can be improved by lowering the inspection magnification. However, this coarsens the image and decreases the sensitivity. On the other hand, increasing the inspection magnification improves the sensitivity, but lowers the throughput.